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In the United States of America there are two Supreme Councils: one in Washington, DC, and one in Lexington, Massachusetts, which control the Southern Jurisdiction (SJ) and Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (NMJ), respectively. In the SJ, individual states are referred to as Orients and local bodies are called Valleys;the NMJ uses only Valley.Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the SJ these are the Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°), Chapter of Rose Croix (15°–18°), Council of Kadosh (19°–30°), and the consistory (31°–32°). In the NMJ, the bodies are the Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°), the Council of Princes of Jerusalem (15°–16°), the Chapter of Rose Croix (17°–18°), and the Consistory (19°–32°). In both jurisdictions the Supreme Council controls and confers the 33rd Degree of Sovereign Grand Inspector General.

In the United States the Lexington, Massachusetts-based Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, formed in 1813, oversees the bodies in fifteen states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont. Orients in the other thirty-five states, districts and territories in the United States are overseen by the Southern Jurisdiction. Based in Washington, D.C., the Southern Jurisdiction is the "Mother Supreme Council of the World," being the first Supreme Council, and was founded in Charleston, South Carolina in 1801.

In the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 33 members, and is presided over by a Grand Commander. Other members of the Supreme Council are called "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General" (S.G.I.G.), and each is the head of the Rite in his respective Orient (or state). Other heads of the various Orients who are not members of the Supreme Council are called "Deputies of the Supreme Council."

In the Northern Jurisdiction the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members. All members of the Supreme Council are designated Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, but the head of the Rite in each Valley of the Northern Jurisdiction is called a "Deputy of the Supreme Council."

This post was last modified: 01-16-2007 08:21 AM by HuskerMason.

Very interesting and different to Scotlands Scottish Rite.

33 degrees in scottish freemasonry too - I am still trying to work out the link between the scottish rite and scottish freemasonry. We go from craft lodge (scottish) through various other lodges - royal arch etc - is that your experience Peter/Husker.

Each degree has a ritual just like the three craft degrees though in scottish tradition we add the mark degree to the craft lodge

I posted this in another section.
http://afam.nazone.org/index.php?topic=1...961#msg961

I have heard that, the the USA, it is possible to purchase a 31, 32 or 33 Degree "over the counter" so to speak. Bob Hope has been mentioned among others as having such a Degree.

I understand that, in the Scottish "Scottish Rite", one has to work one's way up to the 31st, the 32nd and eventually the 33rd Degree.

Is there any truth in this? If so, it must surely devalue the whole Order.

cheers

zambuk

I dont know for sure but you can buy anything on line now.
I know someone who bought a degree in Ancient History!

LOL Peter.

I am unsure of this as I have not yet made it that far.

You don´t need to Shawn, just buy your way there!

I'd love to go through all the degrees one by one but id love even more to have that kind of time